Touch 'Em All: Paul Skenes Will Start The ASG, Pat Kelly Gets 2,000th W & David Wells Almost Punched His Owner
There's A New Section Of Touch ‘Em All Dedicated To The Minor Leagues - We're Calling It ‘Down On The Farm'
I know, I know. The Minor Leagues aren't everyone's cup of tea. The competition isn't as good, the players aren't as well known, and there's no World Series in the minors.
But that doesn’t mean the Minor Leagues are completely uninteresting. In fact, most of the time, they’re pretty enjoyable to watch and just flat-out fun! Plus, lots of major stars in the league today started in the farm system, so they, in essence, are the lifeline for a lot of major-league talent.
What do you think of the minor leagues? Do you have a favorite team? Let me know: john.simmons@outkick.com.
That's why whenever I see anything interesting happening in the minors, I'll include it in my "Down On The Farm" section. (Pardon the pun, I have an overdeveloped sense of dad humor, even though I don't have any kids).
Take Thursday night as an example. The Louisville Bats (the Triple-A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) beat the St. Paul Saints 3-2, and in the process helped Pat Kelly get his 2,000th win in the minor leagues. Kelly is now just the seventh man ever to reach that milestone.
Now, if this were the major leagues, any player or manager who would reach a significant milestone would probably be very stoic, and any team celebration of said achievement would likely be laid back, especially in the regular season. But not in the minor leagues.
There’s an air of relaxation throughout this level of the sport. Everyone knows that while they’re all trying to get to the big leagues, they’re able to loosen up and enjoy themselves more because they don’t have big-league expectations and pressure on them.
That is why Kelly and his boys seized the moment to party like it was 1999 and busted open the champagne. Just before letting the bubbly loose, Kelly delivered a speech thanking the players for their contribution in helping him get to this historic milestone.
And then, he dropped the most electric one-liner you’ll hear this weekend.
You have got to love the spirit of the minor leagues. Even if these guys never get to the top of the baseball ladder, they recognize that you can still have fun and seize the opportunities to celebrate whenever you get them.
Congrats to Kelly! Who says the minor leagues aren’t worth treasuring?
David Wells' Relationship With George Steinbrenner Once Almost Came To Blows - Literally
David Wells has never been one to hold back his thoughts on anything. Whether he’s talking about Nike’s support of Colin Kaepernick or transgenders in women’s sports, Wells will tell you exactly what he’s thinking if given the chance.
That trait is certainly admirable in most cases. Heck, if we had more people that were willing to be as outspoken for truth like Wells, we could be a lot better off as a country.
David Wells is not afraid to speak his mind, and that almost got him in trouble with George Steinbrenner in the 1990s. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
But being that outspoken comes with great responsibility, because it can get you in trouble in other circumstances. In fact, Wells’ willingness to speak his mind almost got him into a fight with former New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.
That’s not a joke.
The year was 1997, and Wells was in his first full season with the Yankees - and performing horribly. In one August start, he had allowed six total runs in eight innings, and was thoroughly outperformed by Expos ace Pedro Martinez (New York would lose the game 7-2).
Once the game was over, Steinbrenner was in the locker room waiting for Wells. "You ain’t the pitcher I signed," the Yankees owner coldly greeted him.
Both men exchanged tense remarks with each other, with the fight culminating in a challenge from Wells for Steinbrenner to fight him.
Here’s the full story, according to Wells, from this appearance on the "Pardon My Take" podcast on Thursday.
To his credit, the owner didn’t back down, and thankfully, the men never actually used each other as sparring partners. I have a feeling that a 6-foot Steinbrenner (who was 67 at the time) would’ve taken a heavy beating against the 6’3", 187-pound Wells (who was just under half his owner’s age).
Thankfully, the two reconciled. But man, would that have been a crazy story if that actually happened?!
Paul Skenes Will Start The ASG For The NL As He Darn Well Should
Paul Skenes has been dominant with a capital "D" this season.
He’s currently 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA, and if his Pittsburgh Pirates teammates had given him some better run support in some of his starts, his record would be even better.
The latest example of his uncanny rise to the top of the arms race in the National League came on Thursday, when, over seven full innings, he threw just 99 pitches, struck out 11 batters and allowed zero - count ‘em, zero - hits to the Milwaukee Brewers.
How was he able to go that long without surrendering a hit? Well, if you have this backdoor slider working for you, you’re nearly impossible to stop.
The craziest part? This guy is still a rookie. Imagine what he’ll be like five years from now? The rest of the MLB better gear up for a league that could soon be Skenes’ league.
For no good reason, the Pirates decided to pull him and cost him a chance at a no-hitter. But, he was still the victorious pitcher in a 1-0 Pittsburgh win.
However, I think he’s much happier with a bit of news he got early on Friday.
On an appearance of "The Dan Patrick Show," Arizona Diamondbacks manager Tony Lovullo called in, interrupting a conversation between Patrick and Skenes. He didn’t do this arbitrarily or because he has nothing on his plate; Lovullo is trying to get the Diamondbacks in playoff contention and will be the NL’s manager in next week’s All-Star Game.
Lovullo called in to tell Skenes, and the rest of the world, that he would have the honor of starting the ASG for his league next week, making him the sixth-youngest baseball player to do so.
Frankly, this guy deserves it. He’s pitched like a 10-year veteran despite being only 24. He’s arguably been the best pitcher in the National League. And frankly, he should have gotten a nod anyway for his elite mustache.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes. Photo: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
The American League All-Stars had better get ready for one heck of a game. There are few teams who have been able to solve the riddle of Paul Skenes so far.
The Yankees Literally Can't Catch A Break To Save Their Lives
The Yankees have been in a horrific slump over the past few weeks. Last night at Tropicana Field, they finally had a solid chance to have something, anything positive to go their way.
Gleyber Torres hit a little blooper to what seemed like a hole in the Rays' outfield coverage with a full count in the top of the ninth. If it dropped, New York would have at least tied the game, and if the Rays had trouble fielding it, Aaron Judge might have scored from first.
Could this be the moment the Yankees had waited for? A break that could have changed the morale of their dugout, if only for one night?
Apparently not!
José Caballero was playing second base, and it looked like he was a country mile from where the ball would have landed. However, he ran like a mad man into shallow left field and caught the ball over his shoulder, all while not fearing a charging Jose Siri, who was inches away from a nasty collision.
I mean seriously, what a play (even though he almost dropped it at the end)! But if you're a Yankees fan, you're probably going bald from all the hair you pulled out watching this.
First, they were swept by the Cincinnati Reds at home. Then, it was losing two out of three to the Boston Red Sox and getting shut out on Sunday Night Baseball. Then, you get swept by the Rays on this one-in-a-million play?
Thankfully, they beat the Baltimore Orioles last night to end their four-game losing streak. But they've still got work to do if they want to get their season back on track.
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That's it for this week! If you have any ideas you want to see me write about, email me at john.simmons@outkick.com. Have a fantastic weekend!